Results 23,201-23,220 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Budget 2013: Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (26 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: I thank the committee for the invitation to consider the budget and Estimates process for 2013. I welcome this new initiative, which has been put in place on foot of a commitment in the programme for Government to enhance the role of Oireachtas committees in engaging with the whole-of-year budgetary process. As I outlined at our meeting on 22 May 2012, the Department will spend...

An Bille um an Aonú Leasú is Tríocha ar an mBunreacht (Leanaí) 2012: An Dara Céim (Atógáil) - Thirty-First Amendment of the Constitution (Children) Bill 2012: Second Stage (Resumed) (26 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: I wish to share my time with Deputies John O'Mahony and Peter Fitzpatrick. The journalist Olivia O'Leary wrote a very moving column the other day describing how as a young reporter she had once written a series on adoption for The Irish Times. She rang a nun, an admirable woman, who was in charge of an orphanage for girls in Dublin. She told Ms O'Leary how sometimes in the middle of the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Forthcoming Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council: Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (26 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: In response to the question by Senator Healy Eames there are no proposals at EU level on payments in respect of children being tied into vaccinations. That is an issue for a national competence and not an EU matter. The naming of the father on the birth certificate is a national issue for each country. I have responded to parliamentary questions indicating that I favour it. We are...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Forthcoming Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council: Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (26 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: We are just starting on the Pathways to Work process and, as Deputy O'Dea noted, it is a question of identifying these people and their skills levels. These data were not gathered in the past but they form part of the new Pathways to Work profiling project. It will take a number of years to build up the profile as new people come into the system. In regard to Senator Moloney's related...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Forthcoming Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council: Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (26 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: I wish to make one point in response to Deputy Joan Collins. Child poverty and social policy issues are obligations and competencies of member states. The European Union provides oversight and comparison of policies in the different member states. It tends not to act directly because that is the prerogative of national states and governments. In dealing with social exclusion and the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Forthcoming Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council: Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (26 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: I will start with Deputy Ó Snodaigh's questions. The youth guarantee has been under discussion for a number of years at EU level. The important political aspect of this is that the European Union, for understandable reasons, has been focused on the banking crisis and the economic crisis, but, as the committee will be aware, there is an enormous human dimension to that crisis,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Forthcoming Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council: Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (26 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: I wish the Chairman well in chairing this committee. This is our first opportunity to meet formally. The upcoming meeting of the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council, EPSCO, will be in Luxembourg on 4 October. I wish to brief the committee on my priorities during the forthcoming EU Presidency. As the members are probably aware, the EPSCO Council covers a wide...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Youth Unemployment (26 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: In response to the proposals made by President Barroso, action teams composed of national and Commission officials were set up in a number of Member states to re-orientate existing EU structural funding towards youth employment initiatives. As a direct result of the work of the action team for Ireland, €25 million of funding was re-allocated to the integrated Youthreach programme which...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pension Provisions (26 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: The homemaker's scheme makes qualification for State pension (contributory) easier for those who take time out of the workforce for caring duties. The scheme which was introduced in and took effect from 1994 allows up to 20 years spent caring for children under 12 years of age or incapacitated adults to be disregarded when a person’s social insurance record is being averaged for...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Back to Education Allowance Eligibility (26 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: According to the records of the Department of Social Protection the person concerned has not applied for back to education allowance and has not been in contact since terminating his jobseekers allowance claim in April 2011. The client should contact his Local DSP Office to clarify his entitlements, if any.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Eligibility (26 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: The aim of CE remains as an active labour market programme with the emphasis on progression into employment and/or further education and training. The programme is managed within this context, with consideration to the availability of resources and the needs of participants and the community. The CE programme is one of a range of training and employment programmes available for unemployed...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Eligibility (26 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: Invalidity pension is a payment for people who are permanently incapable of work because of illness or incapacity and who satisfy the contribution conditions. One of the contribution conditions for invalidity pension is that the claimant must have 48 contributions paid or credited in the last complete contribution year before the date of claim. Class A, E or H contributions only are...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Applications (26 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: The person concerned submitted an application for diet supplement on 20th July, 2012. He was refused on the grounds that the diet relating to his medical condition was removed from the list of qualifying diets in 2007.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Applications (26 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: This application for carer’s allowance has been awarded at a rate of €102 per week. This payment will commence on 27th September 2012. The person in question will continue to receive their one parent family payment along with this half rate carer’s allowance. Arrears due from the date of application less any deductions necessary will also issue shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Treatment Benefit Scheme Applications (26 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: The person concerned is qualified for a hearing aid grant under the department’s treatment benefit scheme; however an application has yet to be received. She should contact her audiologist, who will complete the relevant application form.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Treatment Benefit Scheme Applications (26 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: The person concerned has not made an application under the treatment benefit scheme. However, she does not fulfil the qualifying conditions for the PRSI-based scheme operated by the Department and as a result is not entitled to a grant towards the cost of a hearing aid. The person concerned may have an entitlement under the medical card scheme operated by the HSE. Her local HSE office will...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Appeals (26 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal in respect of the person concerned was registered in that office on 9th March 2012. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought. These papers were received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Appeals (26 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: An application for domiciliary care allowance was received on the 25th October 2011. This application was referred to one of the Department’s Medical Assessors who found that the child was not medically eligible for the allowance. A letter issued on the 12th January 2012 advising of the decision. The person concerned has appealed the decision, as part of the appeal process the case...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Insurance Rates (26 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: The charging of PRSI is based on an employee’s earnings in any contribution week in which earnings derived from insurable employment exceed €38. The number of contribution weeks in any year is relevant for determining the individual’s future entitlement to social insurance benefits and in particular entitlement to short-term benefits. Any proposal to alter the basis for...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Code Review (26 Sep 2012)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 99 to 102, inclusive, together. In general the current system of social insurance operates on a mandatory basis only and does not provide for voluntary participation on the part of contributors. Self-employed persons are liable for PRSI at the Class S rate of 4% which entitles them to access long-term benefits such as State pension (contributory) and...